A dream of M.K. Ciurlionis at the Dulwich Picture Gallery
I’ve always enjoyed taking inspiration from unexpected places. When I was a creative copywriter (feels like a lifetime ago now!) I didn’t like sifting through old advertising annuals as much as I loved poring over architecture books and reading blogs about pop culture. I think more than being deliberately lateral, I was trying to break away from the pressure of making something that “looked like” a good ad — in the same way that I want to make art that is true to me, rather than being objectively “good”.
Last month I saw the M.K. Ciurlionis exhibition, “Beyond Worlds” at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. I’d visited once before, back in 2017, for the first UK retrospective of Tove Jansson’s work — and been blown away by how well it was curated. It was the first time I’d seen her editorial and advertising illustrations, as well as book covers and early Moominvalley concepts. Her range was amazing, and definitely something I aspire to in my own work.
What drew me to Ciurlionis’ art was his dreamy and ethereal colours and themes. Everything in soft tones and pastels, lots of billowing clouds and obscured subjects. It reminded me of Marie Laurencin’s beautiful cubist/non-cubist paintings, just in the gentleness of his approach. I loved the details. When I make comics, the last thing on my mind is a gentle approach — the first thing is drama, drama, drama! So I definitely appreciate the way some artists can create a huge impact in such a subtle way. My favourite piece was a simple painting of three fluffy white dandelions in the wind, scaled absolutely tiny in the vastness of the page. So beautiful and so introspective.
Now that I’m working on a graphic novel, because it’s a long form piece, there are nuances of emotion and storytelling that I’m keen to explore, whether through pacing, panelling, colour, or something else. While Ciurlionis’ art feels totally opposite to mine, I think he can show me a thing or two about creating space for those quieter, deeper emotions that I want to bring out in my book. More pictures from the exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery below.
